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Beans, Seeds & NutsMeat substitutes good for the heart by Lisa Vines In recognition of Heart
Month, this article
will focus on a couple of Bulk aisle meat substitutes that are good for
the
heart (physically, not emotionally — no advice column, this). And, in order to be good
to the Co-op
shopper’s pocketbook at the same time, this article will provide some
recipes
for items that are also on sale this month. So stock up, shoppers:
organic
Great Northern beans, organic Navy beans, organic Red Split Lentils,
organic
raw Sunflower seeds. Various manifestations of
almond butter
are also on sale in February: crunchy, smooth, and raw and smooth,
Co-op
shoppers are invited to experiment with those on their own. ”Good for the Heart” What exactly does “heart
healthy” mean?
Many people have a vague idea of “good cholesterol” (um… olive oil?)
and
“bad cholesterol” (um… animal fats? low-density lipoproteins, or LDL?)
and
those super-bad “trans fats” (um… palm and coconut oils?). It’s true
that not
only should we avoid foods high in LDL cholestreol, but we should also
try to
eat foods that will lower levels of this cholesterol in the blood. The
American
Heart Association recommends consuming fiber-rich foods, which can
lower blood
cholesterol and thereby reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Their
suggested goal for fiber intake is 25 grams of fiber a day. The Mayo Clinic’s
guidelines are similar: Beans, Seeds & Nuts. All three of these foods
are sources
of fiber. The latter two are high in polyunsaturated fats, which may
help lower
blood cholesterol. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts
all
contain protein in the form of essential and nonessential amino acids.
It
should be noted that although only animal foods (meat, eggs, milk) and
soybeans
provide complete protein (all nine essential amino acids), a planned
combination
of foods containing protein can also meet this requirement: Beans and
rice, or
beans and corn, are good pairings. Beans New to beans and leery of
their reputation
(“Beans, beans, the musical fruit…”)? Sure, there’s a crosscultural
recognition
of the gastric effects of bean consumption. But lentils, split peas,
azuki
beans, mung beans, black-eyed peas and anasazi beans are all lower in
the sugars
that cause fermenting and create gas. Navy beans tend to be higher on
the
sugar-content list. (All are available in the Bulk aisle.) But, here’s the kicker:
Beans are rich
in protein. “The protein in beans is not only equal in quality to
animal based
protein, it is in many ways superior. Bean protein has no cholesterol,
it is
low in fat, and it comes with a host of other benefits not found in
animal
based protein,” argues Crescent Dragonwagon in her cookbook Passionate
Vegetarian
(p.588). Beans contain iron. The
Mayo Clinic
suggests beans as a good substitute for meat, primarily for their low
amount of
fat and absence of cholesterol. Beans are also high in fiber. It is
somewhat
problematic to estimate the fiber content of foods, but in the list
posted on www.wehealny.org,
cooked great northern
beans contained the most: 19.4 grams of fiber per cup. Basic guidelines
for
preparing dried beans (available in a multitude of varieties in the
Bulk aisle)
include soaking them before cooking, preferably overnight. Soaking the
beans
reduces actual cooking time and removes some of the complex sugars that
cause
the above noted troubles. They will absorb three to four times their
volume in water,
so cover with four times as much water as beans. Skim off any overly
dry or
immature beans that float to the surface when adding the water. After
the
soaking period, be sure to drain the soaking water and replace with
fresh water
for cooking. Lentils Lentils come in many
different
colors: red, green, brown, yellow, pink and black. The most common here
are the
German lentils, which are shades of brown and green. The Bulk aisle
also
contains the French lentil, which is smaller and a darker green.
Lentils cook
much faster than beans. Red lentils are also rich in fiber, although
not as rich
as great northern beans: They provide 6.4 grams of fiber per cup. Seeds Seeds are also suggested
as a meat substitute,
with the advice to try the unsalted and dry-roasted versions. Sunflower
seeds,
peanuts, almonds and walnuts are all possibilities that are available
in the
Bulk aisle. They do tend to be high in fat and calories, so eat seeds
in
moderation. The polyunsaturated fats found in seeds and nuts could be
beneficial
for lowering cholesterol levels — but again, all fat has the same
calories (a
lot). Sources Deborah Madison, Vegetarian
Cooking
for Everyone ( Crescent Dragonwagon, Passionate
Vegetarian
( Mayo Clinic: www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-healthy-diet/NU00196.
American Heart
Association: www.wehealny.org
(a
site run by two
health care providers). Medline Plus, on www.nlm.nih.org. Beans with Aromatics (from Vegetarian
Cooking for
Everyone) 1 cup beans, cleaned,
rinsed and soaked
overnight Drain beans, cover with 6
cups fresh
water, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes, skimming off any foam. Lower heat and add
remaining ingredients,
cover, and simmer until beans are partially tender, anywhere from 30 to
60
minutes. Add salt once the beans are partially tender, then continue
cooking
until they’re tender but not mushy. The beans can be drained and eaten
as is.
Or they can be enhanced by the following additional recipe: Beans with Aromatics,
with Extra
Virgin Olive Oil (from Vegetarian
Cooking for
Everyone) Beans, as prepared above. Put beans into a bowl and
add the shallots
or chives, garlic, olive oil and parsley. Stir carefully to avoid
breaking the
beans. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with lemon wedges. Red Lentils Red lentils are a lovely,
almost
salmon color when uncooked, but unfortunately turn rather brown when
cooked and
edible. (I mention this as a caveat to people who buy them, hoping to
create a
visually dramatic dish.) Visual aesthetics aside, these little lentils
are delicate
and tasty, and do quite nicely as a plain side dish on their own. Boil up a cup of red
lentils in 5
cups of water until the lentils are nice and soft; once the water
reaches
boiling, it should be another 25 minutes. Drain the water (saving
it for a
soup later on) and serve the lentils with a bit of salt and butter for
a quick
side dish. Middle Eastern-Style
Pilaf with
Noodles & Red Lentils (adapted from Passionate
Vegetarian) 4 cups water Bring water to a boil and
add
lentils. Reduce the heat and
simmer the lentils,
uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the lentils
soak in
their cooking water for another 45 minutes. In a large, deep,
non-stick skillet,
heat the butter and oil until the butter melts. Add the orzo and cook,
stirring
constantly, until the orzo is turning golden brown — about 3 minutes. Now add the rice and
sauté it. Stir constantly.
After 1 minute or so, the rice will be shiny and translucent. Pour in
the
boiling lentils and then the cooking liquid, along with the salt. Stir
well.
Let the whole thing boil for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to
low, and cover.
Simmer for 20 minutes. Then turn off the heat and let the dish rest,
covered,
for another 10 minutes. Season to taste and serve. Oven-Roasted Sunflower
Seeds (No
Extra Fat) Raw sunflower seeds Soak raw sunflower seeds
in a salt water
solution for several hours — preferably overnight. A favorite seasoning
can
also be added to the water: soy sauce, ground pepper, hot pepper sauce,
oregano…. The seeds will soak up
the water and
flavors and get plump. Drain the excess water, and spread the seeds on
a baking
pan that has been lightly sprayed with an oil. Bake seeds in a
300º oven until
done, about an hour. Turn them several times, as the seeds on the edges
bake
faster than the ones in the middle. Don’t expect these guys
to last very
long — once people in the house discover these crunchy items, they’re
gone! |
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